Lack of Antivirus Software Behind PhilHealth Ransomware Attack
Last month, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the national health insurer in the Philippines, experienced a ransomware attack that forced it to shut down many of its computer systems. The Medusa ransomware group conducted the attack and proceeded to leak the sensitive data of plan members when the $300,000 ransom wasn’t paid.
As if the ransomware attack and data leak were not bad enough, further information has emerged on how the attack failed to be prevented. PhilHealth had antivirus software in place, but the license had been allowed to expire, rendering the protection almost useless. The license to use the software expired on April 15, 2023, and the ransomware attack occurred on September 22, 2023.
PhilHealth has confirmed that its antivirus software was out of date and blamed complicated government procurement processes on why the license hadn’t been renewed and an alternative solution had not been implemented. PhilHealth has confirmed that antivirus software has now been implemented, although the software is currently on a free trial, which will expire in 30 days.
PhilHealth said the affected IT systems and workstations have now been restored; however, the sensitive data of members of its insurance plans has already been leaked on the dark web. While the number of individuals affected has yet to be confirmed, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan, John Uy, said millions of individuals have had their data stolen. PhilHealth has issued warnings to those individuals to exercise caution as they may be subject to phishing attacks, and theyhave been told to ignore unexpected calls, emails, and text messages requesting sensitive information such as passwords.
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Healthcare organizations must ensure they maintain an inventory of all software, operating systems, and firmware and ensure they have planned upgrades before licenses expire or support comes to an end. If upgrades or replacement software are necessary, adequate time must be factored in to ensure that procurement and implementation can be completed in time.
